Page 17 of Desperate Actions

Friends so close, they feel like blood.

Found family—the ones we chose.

These people? They are my tribe. My ride-or-die companions. My forever besties.

I love them all. Fiercely. Unconditionally.

But one member of this Clan?

My love for him is anything but platonic.

The truth is, I’ve been head over heels for Sammy Ramirez since I was eleven years old.

I know how it sounds.

Silly. Embarrassing. Stupid, even.

But it’s the truth.

It happened at one of our big family cookouts, back when summers felt golden and endless, and I was still naive enough to believe in fairytales.

We were all playing soccer out front—Sammy was a referee since he was too big to play fairly against us.

It was all fun and games until one of Junior’s pals, Remy, got too rough and knocked me down.

I hit the ground hard, skinning my knee. It stung like hell, and I was humiliated, blinking back tears because crying in front of the older kids was social suicide.

Then Sammy was there.

Faster than I’d ever seen anyone move, grabbing Remy by the back of his t-shirt and flinging him halfway across the yard like he weighed nothing.

I remember everyone going quiet, the tension thick, crackling in the air.

Then he turned to me, his expression shifting from fury to concern in a blink.

And before I could even protest, he picked me up and carried me inside—where he cleaned and dressed my knee himself.

Like it was the most important thing in the world.

Like I was.

And right then—that was it for me.

That was the moment my stupid, hopeful heart latched onto him and never let go.

Which, honestly, is probably why I’m still a virgin.

But I can’t keep living with this stupid crush. I need to move on. To enjoy my youth. To make memories. To live.

And that is why tonight, I am finally going to do something about my hopeless affection for this man.

I am going to forget all about it and find someone to help rid me of acertain physical barrier. And I am going to join the ranks of the many happily single successful women out there who also enjoy having an active sex life.

It’s time to put away my favorite pink vibrator and get myself something real.

Desperate, you say? Maybe.

But it’s got to be better than this.

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